


The Price we Pay

by Doovid



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-16
Updated: 2017-12-24
Packaged: 2018-08-15 08:23:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8049172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Doovid/pseuds/Doovid
Summary: In the aftermath of a storm that took everything, Max learns the price she has paid for the life of her best friend. Amongst the devastation, Chloe wonders if it was worth it, while Max's promise to never use her powers again is tested by strange visions.





	1. CHLOE

   And just like that, it was over. The storm had completely flattened the small town of Arcadia Bay, throwing fragments of houses, shops, and schools in every direction. Boats now rested on the beaches, and cars were settling in at the bottom of the ocean. The tornado had hit the boardwalk first; Max had held Chloe’s hand tightly as they had watched it swallow up the beaches. They couldn’t help but turn away once it reached the shops and residential areas, but they heard every sound as it ripped and tore through people’s homes and lives. This lasted maybe five or six minutes, and then just like that, it was over. The tornado had faded and died once it hit the hills behind the town, and then everything was silent on the cliff-head under the lighthouse. Chloe couldn’t bear to look at the remains of the town, her home, but Max’s eyes seemed to be transfixed and unmoving. The shorter girl was still grasping Chloe’s hand tightly, as though hanging on for dear life, so they stood quietly for a moment.

   Chloe looked up and saw that the sky was still a deathly green-black colour swirling menacingly above them. She considered the possibility of a second storm (come to finish what the first had started) and started to pull Max away from the cliff edge. She half led, half dragged her friend down the beaten path from the lighthouse to the car which, thankfully, hadn’t been swept away by the winds. It was only when they reached the weatherworn orange truck that Max was forced to let go of Chloe’s hand. Her right hand on the wheel, Chloe put the keys in the ignition and the engine jolted to life.

   “Alright seatbelts on” she said to Max in the passenger seat. “We gotta get out of here, fast.”

   But Max didn’t move, her glazed eyes seemed to stare right through the thick tangle of trees that grew around them.

   “Buckle up, Max. Come on, let’s go.” She said. A little sterner this time.  When Max continued to stay frozen in place, Chloe leaned over and pulled the girl’s seatbelt across her chest for her. As she did, she noticed Max’s hands trembling with anxiety in her lap. Chloe reached between the seats and pulled a patched blanket from the back of the truck. Max didn’t stop shivering once the blanket was wrapped around her, but at least she could dry herself off now. Chloe carefully backed the truck down the path toward the main road.  Driving through the streets of Arcadia Bay was usually a simple task; in order to get to the interstate, Chloe would typically have to drive past the Two Whales, through some residential blocks, and past her own house. But now the streets were piled so high with debris that the layout of the town was completely foreign and Chloe was afraid she’d get lost. Cars, boats, and telegraph poles seemed to block every road. And the bodies. Bodies of dead residents littered the streets like fallen shrapnel. Chloe was careful not to look at any of them for fear of seeing a familiar face.  Finally, the road leading out of town was visible and Chloe had found a route.

   “We’re almost out of here, Max” she said. And then “Oh shit” as she saw that a body was sprawled over the asphalt between them and the open road. Chloe took a deep breath as she approached. There was no other way around. Her stomach lurched as the truck bumped over the corpse. She tried to ignore the sounds that it made. She looked over at Max who didn’t seem to have moved at all since she had been strapped in. Her almost unblinking eyes were staring out the window, but she didn’t seem to be looking at anything that passed by. Chloe decided that she’d better keep her eyes on the road ahead.

   “Thank you for visiting Shithole Bay” she muttered as they passed a sign that encouraged them to _‘Come back soon!’_ “Okay, we’re out of here. We finally did it, Max! We’re leaving.” Chloe wasn’t sure she liked the circumstances under which they were departing Arcadia Bay, but nevertheless, it was a source of some satisfaction to finally have left it all behind her. Max’s motionless state didn’t change, but her eyes became alert as several emergency service vehicles screamed past them heading toward the town. They didn’t stop to question the two girls driving away unharmed from a town that had been reduced to rubble not fifteen minutes ago by the biggest tornado Oregon had ever seen. All three vehicles sped right by. Even they knew they were too late.

   Once they were on the interstate, Chloe was able to put her foot down. Going faster made her feel more at ease. She rolled down her window, but the roaring and chilly bite of the air made her shut it again. Max still hadn’t moved. Chloe tried getting her talking or at least responding while they drove.

   “Have you ever seen so little traffic on the interstate? It’s like something out of a zombie apocalypse movie.”

   “It’s a good thing I stocked up on gas yesterday. I don’t think I’ve seen a single gas station yet.”

   “You alright, Max? We’re gonna go through Portland! Remember? Like we always wanted to do. Me, you, and…”

Nothing but silence followed. Chloe turned on the radio at one point, but all she could find was news of the tornado and severe weather warnings telling Oregon residents to stay inside.  She didn’t leave the radio on.  As they passed the Portland exit, Chloe spoke again, this time with a more serious tone.

   “Listen, Max. We’re gonna just blow past Portland okay? I uh… we’re going to you parents’ house. Alright? If they’ve heard any news about the storm, they’ll be worried sick. Hopefully we’ll get to Seattle before they do something stupid like go looking for you.” The other girl didn’t move. “Max? I know you’re listening. It’s gonna be alright, bud.”  Max blinked.  “It’s going to be alright.” Chloe said, though more to herself than Max this time.


	2. MAX

   Max opened her eyes. Early morning sunlight was pouring through her window, warming her face and bouncing off of millions of particles of dust in the air.  Her eyes started to focus, and where she expected to see a desk with her laptop on it and a house plant next to it, she saw a wardrobe in which very few clothes were hanging. _Huh?_ Max looked around groggily. _Am I in my old bedroom?_ The lack of other students noisily waking up and getting ready for classes confirmed that she was certainly not in her Blackwell dorm, and the tacky floral wallpaper told her that she was definitely back in her parents’ home in the suburbs of Seattle.  Max couldn’t remember how she got there. In fact, she could barely remember anything from the last few… hours? Days? How long had it been since the tornado? She remembered her parents crying with relief as they hugged her on their doorstep. And she vaguely remembered being helped into the car by Chloe.

_Chloe!_ Max sat up quickly, remembering her best friend. She looked around the room and found her sleeping in a chair opposite the bed. The orange sunrise did nothing to mask the brilliant blue of her messy hair which had fallen in front of her face. Max was sure she was sleeping, but Chloe’s hands were balled up in tight fists, and twitched and shifted nervously in her lap. _She must be having a nightmare_ Max thought. She reached for the glass of water on her end-table, but misjudged the distance. The glass toppled and thudded to the floor, sending water everywhere.

   “Rachel!” Chloe screamed. She had jerked awake and her eyes looked around like a panicked doe, trying to figure out where she was.  Finally, they rested on the girl sitting up in front of her.

   “Oh, Max!” She sighed. The younger girl smiled as her best friend darted across the room and hugged her tightly. “Rise and shine, sleeping beauty! I thought you’d decided to sleep forever.”

   “What day is it?” Max rubbed her eyes sleepily.

   “Sunday.”

   _“Sunday!?”_

   “Yeah.” Chloe laughed a little. “You fell asleep as soon as we got here and you stayed that way all through Saturday. You missed out on some great cooking. You never told me that Ryan and Vanessa made such a good tag-team in the kitchen.”

   “Oh my god, my parents!” Max propped herself up against the headboard. “Are they alright?”

   “You should have seen them. They heard the news like an hour before we got there. They’d been calling your cell constantly and they were getting ready to leave right when I was dragging you up to the door.”

   “You dragged me? Was I unconscious?”

   “Nah, I don’t think so. You started crying and just blubbing _“I’m sorry… I’m sorry”_ over and over again. I don’t think they noticed, though.”

   “How are they now?” Max looked toward the bedroom door.

   “You can come and see them now if you want.” Chloe gestured to the clock. 7:44 am. “I’ll make you some breakfast”

   Chloe might not take after Joyce in any meaningful way, but her breakfast-cooking skills were definitely on par with her mother’s. Max’s stomach growled as Chloe set down a plate of waffles and bacon, dripping with syrup.  Max’s parents, who had already eaten, were sitting across from her quietly. Her mother’s brow was still furrowed with deep concern, her mouth a thin line as she stared at her daughter. Her father’s eyes were closed, however, his mouth smiling behind a thick lumberjack’s beard, glad that Max was now safe at home. Both her parents had been relieved to see her up and about, but they treated her very cautiously. Her mother talked to her like she was handling a live hand grenade with a loose pin. Her questions were very carefully worded and she never seemed to take her eyes off of her. Her father, a man of few words at the best of times, would usually sit back during these interrogations. He seemed content with the fact that Max (and Chloe) was alive, and would have preferred life to have gone on as normal without the constant flurry of questions. Both of them, however, were very happy to see that Chloe was so ready to be there for Max, and to make sure that she was never alone when she needed someone.

   As Max ate, Vanessa spoke to her slowly, “So, Max… We’ve all been following the news since the storm. The coverage has been pretty much constant, so we feel like we should fill you in on what we know.” Max stayed silent. A nasty feeling rising in her stomach. Vanessa continued, “There’s still rescue operations going on, that’s for sure, but lately they’ve been… pulling back on some of the effort. They’re saying that there’s not much more they can do.”

   “But what about the survivors?” This wasn’t making sense to Max. It hadn’t even been three days. “They are finding people aren’t they?”

   “Honey, it’s not that simple. They-”

   “How many have they found, mom?” Max was starting to panic.

   Vanessa struggled to continue and looked to her husband for support, “Sweetie, they’re doing the best they can” said Ryan, “Now, it’s possible that-”

   “How. Many.”

   Ryan sighed; his eyes met his daughter’s. “It depends on who you ask. Some say twenty, others say fifty. But never much higher than that.”

   _Fifty?_ “But that’s just for now though, right?” Tears were starting to flow down Max’s cheeks “They’re gonna keep finding people, aren’t they?”

   “Max, it’s been nearly three days. By this point, every hour it gets less and less likely that they’re gonna find more people alive.”

   Max looked in disbelief at Chloe, who had a hand balled up in a fist against her face and eyes red with tears. “I’m so sorry, Max.” She managed to whisper.  Max just looked at her, mouth agape.

   “Who…” she started, but choked on her words. “Have they… did they say who… who…”

   “They haven’t told us the names of anyone yet” said Ryan, his voice thickening. “Have you heard from any of your friends?”

   Max shook her head numbly as she looked at her phone; she didn’t have any texts or missed calls from anyone besides her mom and dad. Her stomach suddenly lurched and she turned to Chloe as she remembered David and Joyce.

   “I’ve been trying to call them, but… Nothing.” The blue-haired girl said through tears. Max only noticed then that she was holding her phone tightly in her hand and fidgeting with it; turning it over and over. Max moved over and grasped Chloe’s free hand, rubbing it with her thumb. She wanted to say something but her mouth couldn’t form a sentence. Instead, the pregnant silence amplified the strong air of worry in the room. It was clear that the damage was far more devastating that either girl had imagined.

 

* * *

 

 

   Despite everything, Chloe made every effort she could to comfort her best friend over the next two days. Both mornings on Sunday and Monday, Max came downstairs to find Chloe slaving away in the kitchen making waffles, pancakes and bacon just like Joyce did at the diner.  Chloe always had a smile, but Max could see the toll it took. She would often find Chloe sitting with her face in her hands or staring listlessly out the window with her phone constantly nearby. Chloe would always retreat to her spare bedroom hours before anyone else would at night, though she still had dark bags under her eyes each morning.

   Early on Tuesday, Max was getting dressed into a pair of old jeans and a hoodie which barely fit anymore when her phone started ringing loudly on her end-table. Stunned for a moment, Max dashed over and answered it quickly.

   “Hello?” Max could hear indistinct chatter in the background.

   “Max!?” a familiar voice came from the other end.

   “Oh my god, Kate! Is that you? Are you alright?”

   “I’m fine. Oh Max I’m so glad to hear you’re okay!” Kate sounded out of breath and worn out, but Max had never been more thankful and relieved to hear her voice.

   “Kate where are you? What’s that noise in the background?”

   “I’m at the hospital. I was here when the tornado hit, but it never got this far up the hill. I could see the whole thing from my room though. Oh Max, it was horrible. After it was over, emergency services started bringing people in. I suppose it was more convenient than flying them to Portland or something. The nurses and I have been working almost non-stop for nearly four days.”

   “The hospital. Of course!” Max said to herself. “Kate, how many people did they bring in?”

   “I dunno” Kate didn’t seem to want to answer the question “I haven’t been counting and they’ve taken some people up to Portland. I dunno, maybe twenty-five or thirty?”

   Max couldn’t say anything. She didn’t know why, but a small part of her had hoped for more than just thirty survivors.

   “Listen, Max…” Kate continued, “You um… You need to come down here. To the hospital. Soon.”

   “Back to Arcadia bay?” Max was beginning to feel uneasy all of a sudden. “Why?”

   “I don’t know how to say this” Kate seemed rushed. “Some guys just brought Warren in on a stretcher about a half hour ago. He… He looks bad, Max.” There was a pause, but when Max tried to say something Kate interrupted her. “Shoot. Look Max I have to go. Just please, please come down here as soon as you can. I don’t know much about what’s happening to Warren, but… it doesn’t look good. Take care, now. Bye.” And the line went dead. Max took a few moments to decide what to do next, and then went downstairs to find Chloe. The lack of cooking sounds and smells told Max that she must still be sleeping. _“Good for her. She deserves it.”_ Max went back upstairs and knocked on Chloe’s door before opening it. The older girl squinted at Max from under the sheets before waking up all at once.

   “Shit, I forgot to make you breakfast! Sorry!” Chloe started to get out of bed.

   “No, don’t worry” said Max, “We don’t have time for that.”

   “Don’t have…” Chloe was still waking up “Don’t have time? Why not? Is everything okay?”

   “I just got a call from Kate Marsh.” Chloe’s eyes lit up with hope. “She’s at the hospital down in Arcadia Bay working as a nurse. She said that they just brought Warren in and that he’s really sick or injured or something. Chloe, we have to go down there.”

   “Kate’s at the hospital?” Chloe started to get dressed.

   “Yeah. It wasn’t hit by the storm at all.”

   “Did you ask about Joyce? Or David?”

Max’s eyes fell to the floor and a lump rose in her throat. She hadn’t asked about them. After all Chloe had done for her, she hadn’t even thought of her parents.

   “Don’t worry, Max” Although she could tell that Chloe was a little hurt. “We’ll go down there today and find out.”

   Max nodded and then suddenly remembered: “Warren might know. He was in the diner with Joyce when the storm hit. He probably knows whether she’s…”

   “Yeah.” Said Chloe, a reassuring smile appearing on her drained face.

   “You get dressed and ready” said Max. “I’ll go and make breakfast.” Max walked down the stairs to the kitchen, her spirits higher than they had been in a long time, but an unmistakeable feeling of intense worry and anxiety building up in her stomach.


	3. CHLOE

   Chloe had decided what felt like a long time ago that she was leaving Arcadia Bay for good, and that she had absolutely no intention of ever returning. So it felt strange to now be hurtling straight toward it along the   
I-5 at almost seventy miles per hour. If it weren’t for the possibility of seeing Joyce again, the fact that Max wanted so badly to be there would be the only thing keeping Chloe’s foot weighed down on the pedal.

   Ryan and Vanessa had at first been reluctant to let Max and Chloe drive back to the devastated town. However, they had warmed to the idea when they learned of the hospital and that some of Max’s friends were still alive.  Still, Ryan wouldn’t let them go without an armful of food for the journey, and Vanessa had insisted they stick to the main roads and not stay too long. Oh and don’t forget an umbrella in case it rains. And Chloe, remember to stop for breaks every two hours, and make sure to concentrate on the road. Oh and Max are you sure you’ll be alright in those shoes? Would you prefer boots? Max’s doting parents reminded Chloe so much of her own. And even though they could bug her to death between the four of them, Chloe really missed spending time with Joyce and William. She even managed to find it in herself to miss her stepfather David every so often.

   Max, for once, seemed wide awake as she sat in the seat next to her. She had been controlling the car radio as they drove, playing a mix of what Chloe could only describe as _“lame indie trash”_ and a few tame punk-rock songs which were obviously meant more for Chloe’s entertainment than her own. During a particularly mellow song, in which the singer droned on about unrequited love or some bullshit, Chloe began to wonder how they got there in the first place. Max had said it all started when she used her powers in the bathroom the week before, which triggered a chain-reaction and ultimately led to the storm. But it went beyond that. Was it Nathan’s fault for pulling the gun? No. Surely it was Chloe’s fault for meeting him there in the first place. But that was only because Frank was being such a dick about the money she owed him… But then again, maybe Chloe shouldn’t have borrowed money that she couldn’t afford. But it was for a good cause! She and Rachel were going to run away to Los Angeles like she had always dreamed of. Chloe had done it for her! Had she? Come to think of it, Chloe couldn’t even remember asking Rachel before blowing all that cash on getting the truck fixed.

   “Chloe.”

   Jesus, Rachel had probably wanted to at least finish school before uprooting her life. Especially with her GPA. Fuck. Had Chloe been so caught up in her own dreams that she’d forgotten about the feelings of the one person she had ever loved in the world?

   “Chloe!”

   And shit, if she had actually been looking out for Rachel instead of dealing with dirt-bags like Frank and Nathan, Rachel might not have died. Then they wouldn’t be in this shithole of a situation at all. Maybe Max could have met Rachel; they would have really liked each other, and they all could have-

   “CHLOE FOR FUCK’S SAKE!” Max shot over from the passenger side and yanked the steering wheel to the right. Chloe looked up just in time to see a doe darting out of the path of the truck. “What the hell is wrong with you, Chloe?” Max tried to hide her fear behind fury “Do you even realise you’re going 90? On a dirt road?” Shit. Chloe eased her foot off the accelerator, which was almost touching the floor. Colour was allowed to flood back into her knuckles as she loosened her grip on the wheel.

   “Sorry, Max.” said Chloe. “I wasn’t concentrating”

   “It’s okay.” Max began to settle “You looked really intense there. What were you thinking about? It seemed like it made you really mad.”

   “Nothing, its fine.” Chloe said.

   “Are you sure? You don’t wanna talk abo-”

   “Max, just drop it.” Chloe snapped, a little more sharply than she’d intended. Max started to say something, but decided against it and resigned to stare out the passenger window at the trees passing by.  They drove in silence for the next few miles until, all at once, Arcadia Bay came into view.  All things considered, it looked a lot better than it did when they left four days ago. The streets had now been mostly cleared, and the journey through the town was much more easily navigated. The hospital looked exactly as it had done the week before; a tall, off-white building that looked as though it could stand to be cleaned a few times. Once they’d reached the top of the hill, and could look down on the bay, it looked strikingly bare and dead. It wasn’t until Max said “Look, all the trees are gone” that Chloe could pin-point what was missing.

   Inside, the hospital seemed like any other; all the electronic signs were working and pointing to various wards, there was a janitor’s mop and bucket just down the hall, and there was even a disgruntled-looking woman at reception. The only thing which Max and Chloe found unusual was the waiting room which was completely empty save for a small, tired-looking girl in mint-green scrubs and a hair bun running toward them with her arms outstretched.

   “Max! Chloe! You’re here!” Kate Marsh hugged Max and Chloe very tightly in turn “Oh, I’m so happy you got here safely! The road out of here must be a mess.” Even though her eyes had dark circles under them, Kate seemed like she couldn’t be happier to see two familiar faces “How have you two been holding up?”

   “It… it was a bit tough for the first little while” said Chloe, glancing down at Max “But we’re just trying to put the pieces back together. We’re staying with Max’s parents and they’ve been great.” Max had taken hold of Chloe’s hand and was leaning into her friend’s side.

   “Chloe has been amazing” she said to Kate. “She helps around the house and with the cooking every day. She even drove all the way here. I couldn’t ask for a better… friend.” Max paused before the word ‘friend’ and Kate noticed. Glancing cautiously down at the girls’ hands, she offered to lead them to Warren’s room.

   The halls were relatively quiet, a few nurses flitted between rooms, and the janitor (who looked somehow familiar) had sectioned off a particularly messy room in the paediatrics ward. Kate’s pace quickened as they made a left turn at the end of the hall.

   “The burns unit?” Max said, warily. “Kate..?”

   Kate remained silent until they reached room 409. She stopped by the door and turned to the two girls.

   “Um…” Kate knotted her hands and stared at the floor “Listen, Warren is in a really bad way. Like…” She stopped and took a shuddering breath. “There was an electrical fire. Warren tried to get out but… but he… Well, you’ll see.” And Kate opened Warren’s door.

   Chloe hadn’t seen anything like it; Warren had more wires and machines attached to him than she could count, various screens made beeping noises and drew graphs monitoring God knows what. But the worst part – the part that made Chloe’s stomach turn – was the full-body cast that constricted Warren’s entire body, only his head was showing. He saw them come in and tried his best to smile without wincing in pain. Wordlessly, Max rushed in and knelt by Warren’s side, but the older girl stayed back, leaning on the door frame; watching. To no surprise of Chloe’s, Max immediately started apologising to Warren through thick, flowing tears. As they talked, Max kept reaching to touch Warren’s hand before realising that it was tightly bandaged. And even though Max was constantly wiping away tears, Chloe couldn’t help but notice that this had been the most… energetic that she had been since the storm.  And the way Max listened so intently to Warren and the way she absent-mindedly pushed her hair behind her ear caught Chloe’s eye. Was she imagining things? Chloe was reminded so much of Rachel that she could almost see the blue feather hanging from Max’s ear.

   “Chloe?” Max’s voice snapped her back in to reality. “Chloe come over here. Warren was just talking about what happened at the diner.” Chloe’s heart jumped at the mention of the diner, so she walked over and stood with Max next to Warren’s bed. He smiled warmly, but the pained look in his eyes made Chloe feel apprehensive about the conversation to come.

   “When the storm hit, I was eating at the diner with Joyce.” Chloe nodded, numbly. “She and I took a few people in off the street and helped them if they were hurt. She was so selfless, Chloe. But at one point, there was an explosion and half of the diner collapsed. The other half began catching fire, so Joyce and I started helping the other get out, but… But then the rest of the roof came down on us, most of it was on fire. Joyce was behind me when it happened. I tried to get to her, but I was pinned down. I tried calling out to her, but she never called back.”

   “…And?” Chloe had tears in her eyes. “Then what happened?”

   “Chloe…” Warren’s brow furrowed and then relaxed into an apologetic gaze, “She didn’t make it out. I’m so sorry.” His voice cracked a little.

   Chloe made a small choking sound and collapsed to her knees in a heap. Her chest made movements as though she was going to be sick, but all that came out of her mouth were painful, hoarse wails that brought tears to the eyes of everyone in the room. To Chloe, it felt as though someone was squeezing her heart to try to stop it from beating and hitting her in the stomach at the same time. Her screams tried to fill the gaping hole inside of her that was already growing wider and deeper. The rest of Chloe’s body went completely numb, she could hardly notice Max’s arm around her shoulder and her soft voice in her ear.

   After what could have been minutes or years, Chloe stopped crying. Her body was still numb, and her mouth was a thin line. She gazed silently out the window, watching as two birds talked to each other on the windowsill; a blue one and a golden one. A soft knock on the door behind them made Chloe jump, and she turned to see who it was.

   “David!” Chloe burst in to tears again as she felt her stepfather’s arms picking her up off the floor.

   “Oh Chloe! I’m so happy to see you.” He looked at Warren. “Did… Have you told them?” Warren nodded, his eyes now closed. “Oh my baby girl,” said David, holding Chloe more tightly, “I am so, so sorry.”

   “How long have you been here? Where were you?” Chloe said through the tears which she was now wiping away. David suddenly was very downcast and his gaze drifted to the floor.

   “About that… Chloe, there’s something you need to know first. It’s about your friend. Rachel, she-” Chloe felt an unbearable pang at the mention of her name, but Max cut in to spare her.

   “We know, David” she said quickly. “We know.”

   “Oh, well I uh…” He stumbled over his words awkwardly and then continued. “Well, we found the guy who did it. It was one of the teachers up at Blackwell. Art teacher I think. Mark Jefferson. Anyway, I managed to track him down to this… sort of bunker type thing that he had going on underneath an old barn. Thing was filled to the roof with photography equipment and studio lights. This guy had the works down there. Now, by this time, the storm had already started, and I guess at some point the barn must have collapsed, ‘cause I couldn’t get out. And the thing was under so much concrete and steel, I couldn’t even get a signal on my radio. Thankfully, the place was also filled to the brim with food and water, so that at least kept us alive. Rescue guys came and found us yesterday, they’ve been treating me for shock and hypothermia; and Jefferson’s been taken down to county.

   “Chloe, it was horrible down there, trapped with that maniac. Even though I had him strapped to a chair, I could barely sleep knowing what he’d done. And the only thing I could think was that I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if you weren’t safe. And oh,” he pulled Chloe close and kissed her on the forehead, “I’m so glad you are, Chloe.”

   Shortly after, Kate came back with sandwiches and sodas from the cafeteria. As the rest of them ate, Max asked her if she’d seen anyone else from Blackwell. At this question, Kate’s expression became one of worry and a strange kind of anxiety that Chloe recognised all too well; she’d had that look in her eyes many times in her search for Rachel.

   “Actually yeah.” And the rest of them looked up, attentive. It seemed even Warren didn’t know about this, yet. “Victoria Chase was one of the first people they brought in. She was really upset. She’s… She’s in surgery right now.” **

   Max gasped, “Surgery? Is she okay?”

   “Oh yeah, I guess.” Kate looked at the floor. “She had a pretty badly broken leg; they just need to get it set properly.”

   “Have you spoken to her?”

   “A little.” Kate’s cheeks went red and she buried her face in her sandwich again. It had started to get late, and Max and Chloe decided they should leave. After a few more teary goodbyes, they ventured out into the hall again until they were stopped by Kate, who was running after them. She stopped them, and her voice was very solemn as she said, “Look, I don’t know if Warren told you the full story. I don’t even know if _he_ knows the full story.”

   “What do you mean?” Said Max.

   “Warren was buried under a lot of rubble; it took a long time for emergency services to find him. And by the time they did, his burns had been really badly infected. Like, _really_ bad.” Kate shuddered “There’s not enough… healthy skin left to make any useful grafts, and…” She sighed, “I don’t want to say he’s got no chance, but… it doesn’t look good.” Kate’s face was downcast now. “Look, you guys head home. I’ll call you tomorrow morning, okay?”

   “Okay,” said Chloe, Max seemed unable to speak, “Sure thing, Kate.”

   “Drive safe please?”

   “Of course.” Chloe turned to leave. “And try to get some sleep, Kate. You look really worn out.” Kate smiled sheepishly as she waved goodbye.

   As they walked through the parking lot, the low sun shielded by the remaining trees, Chloe felt the strong grip on her stomach growing steadily tighter. As they reached the car, she buckled over and heaved on to the gravel, her lunch and a fresh wave of tears forming a murky puddle on the ground.

 

**** A/N: This is a link to another fic which I'm currently planning which pertains to Kate and Victoria at the hospital. I'll start writing it as soon as I'm finished this one which should (hopefully) be within the next month or so, so please stay tuned for that!**


	4. MAX

**A/N: Its been a while since I've updated this. Sorry to anyone who was waiting for an update; I had to deal with life for a bit and subsequently lost my motivation/time to write. Rest assured though I do plan on finishing this one in the near future and still hope to start that second fic which I mentioned in chapter 3. Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter, I'd been looking forward to writing it since day 1.**

   Max climbed nervously into the front seat of the truck. She hadn't driven a car since her Dad had taught her how almost a year ago, and she certainly wasn't licensed to drive now. As it was, Chloe was in to fit state to get behind a set of handlebars, let alone a steering wheel. The poor girl was barely managing to stand on her own two feet as she pulled open the passenger-side door, a cigarette in her left hand to get the taste of vomit out of her mouth. Max tried not to look at the town as they drove down the path leading from the hospital.

   After a few minutes of silence, Chloe opened her eyes and said "Hey, Max, can we take a detour?" She gave directions, and as Max turned down a familiar street, she realised where they were headed.

   Chloe's house was in shambles. And that was putting it lightly. The roofing and much of the outside walls had all been stripped away, and only the framing remained. The wood was bleached white from the sand and rain which gave the house a dead, eerie look. _It almost looks like a whale skeleton…_ Max's sense of irony had always been keen.

   The passenger door beside Max flew open and before she could stop her, Chloe was running. In a second, she had dashed inside the house toward the stairs.

   "Chloe, stop!" Max was right behind her, leaving the car abandoned against the sidewalk. No sooner had she reached the bottom of the stairs that her footing failed her, sending her flying headlong toward the rotted wood. As she tried to steady herself, Max's vision went blurry and then completely black.

   She wasn't there anymore, she could feel it. Max knew she was no longer on the steps at Chloe's house. When she opened her eyes, she couldn't see. Well, that is to say, all she _could_ see was red. A deep, murky red. It didn't take long for her to realise she was completely submerged in water, and that she had no idea in which direction she could find air. Instinctively she opened her mouth to scream, but her lungs instantly filled with water and her hands went ice cold. There was a rushing in her ears, and she was awake again. Back on the stairs, back in Chloe's house. Back in reality.

   She took a moment to breathe, but before she could consider what had just happened, Max remembered her friend and called for her as she carefully climbed the rickety stairs.

   Max found Chloe in what was left of her old bedroom. The girl had never kept her room particularly tidy, but this was something else. The floor was littered with clothes, boxes, electronics, and bed sheets; all waterlogged and in various states of ruin. Chloe sat crumpled in a heap in front of an empty box. Her blue head was thrown back in silent anguish while her knees rested on the floorboards. Her hands lay defeated at her side. Max recognised the box as the one in which Chloe had kept Rachel's things. Gingerly, Max approached her friend and put an arm around her shoulders pulling her into a tight embrace. Quickly, Chloe's shaking turned to uncontrollable, quiet sobbing as she leaned her head into Max's chest.

   "Chloe…" said Max, trying to find the right words. "I'm sure it's-"

   "Max, don't bother." Chloe cut in, "Just stop. It's gone. It's all fucking gone and I can't fix it."

   "Chloe, this isn't your f-"

   "Not my what? Not my _fault_? Of course it's my fault! Why else would this be happening?" Chloe was now in hysterics, "Shit like this doesn't just happen to people for no reason, Max. It just…" And now Chloe's tears were too heavy for words to sneak through. Max sat there trying to console her friend for what could have been minutes or hours. Hearing thunder in the distance, Max looked up through the roofing to see the sky darkening with ominous clouds.

   "Chloe," she whispered to her friend "There's a storm coming. It looks like it's gonna rain. We should go."

   "You go." Chloe sniffed, wiping away tears, "Go wait by the car. I'll be down in a minute. Just need to grab some things."

   The car sat skewed with one wheel propped on the sidewalk. The dashboard blinked with light, asking Max to close the two front doors. It took a few minutes for Chloe to meet her there, but as she left the house, she was carrying two bundles of items.

   "I found a few photos of Joyce" said Chloe, "From when she was younger. Before Dad died."

   "Are those Rachel's clothes?" Max motioned to the bag of flannel t-shirts and black jeans.

   "Some. I just grabbed whatever was dry."

   Max went for the left-hand door. "No, its fine." Called Chloe, "I'll drive, its fine. Besides, you almost killed us three times on the way over here." She added with a sly wink.

   The girls were mostly silent until they reached the on-ramp to the I-5. At that point, Chloe noted that it was getting dark and that maybe they should find a motel instead of risk driving in the night and rain. Max took a quick look at the inky black clouds ahead of them and agreed.

   "Do you know anywhere safe around here?" she asked.

   "I know a few places just before Portland." Chloe replied. Max gave her a quizzical look.

   "What?" the older girl toyed indignantly, "I fought with David a lot. A few times I pulled the old 'running away' card and I had to find some place to stay." This made Max chuckle. "That said," Chloe went on "They're still an hour or two from here, so feel free to get some beauty sleep, I won't mind"

   "No, no it's fine" Max said, she hadn't realised she was slumped against the window. "I don't mind keeping you company" though truth be told, Max was very tired and longed for a warm, dry bed. Nevertheless, she was adamant to stay awake.

* * *

 

   Max woke up nearly two hours later as Chloe opened the car door from the outside, dripping wet.

   "Oh, hey!" She yelled over the hammering rain and rushing wind, "Sleeping Beauty is awake! And to think, I was about to give you true-love's first kiss!" She threw a small key into Max's lap. "I had to park over the road, so we'll have to brave the weather to get to our room, but don't worry." She held up a tatty black object, "Reception gave me an umbrella!"

   Surprisingly, the ancient umbrella held up, and both Max and Chloe were mostly dry by the time they reached the door with "14" nailed to it.

   "Come on," Chloe opened the door, "Let's get inside where it's warm."

   "Hold on a sec," said Max, taking out her phone "I need to text Kate to make sur-" Just then a car whizzed by, spraying Max with rain water and splattering her body with mud.

   "Oh shit!" said Chloe and Max together, though a hint of laughter came from the motel-room door. "Ah crap!" sighed Max, "My phone is ruined."

   "Don't worry about it." Said Chloe, still laughing a little. "Come inside Poseidon, there's another car coming!"

   Max managed to get behind a closed door before she got soaked again. She looked around the small, yet cosy room. "Just the one bed?" She gave Chloe a funny, sideways look.

   "Yeah…" Sighed Chloe in a faux-disappointed tone, "This is all they had left."

   "Shut up, you did this on purpose!"

   "I have no idea what you're talking about" but Chloe couldn't suppress her cheeky smile. "Anyway, give me your phone; I'll start drying it out. You go have a shower; you look like Andy Dufresne at the end of Shawshank Redemption. Oh and take these," she tossed her a handful of Rachel's clothes. "You'll want something dry"

   "You know that's not how the movie ends, right?" Said Max, sorting through her new clothes.

   "Huh?"

   "Shawshank redemption. It ends with Andy finally meeting up with Red on that beach in Mexico."

   "I know." Huffed Chloe, taking the back off of Max's phone and placing the battery on the counter, "I usually forget about that part though. It ends too perfectly for my taste."

   "You're such a pessimist" chuckled Max as she went into the bathroom. She couldn't hear Chloe's reply once she'd closed the door, but she was sure it was witty and left no room for a sufficient comeback.  
She shower was warm and refreshing, and Max let her mind wander back to earlier in the day. _What was that?_ She thought. _Did I pass out? No, that can't have been all._ She didn't want to admit it to herself, but she knew it was true; _it was another vision. Just like before the tornado. Shit! I thought I'd fixed this! Ugh but what could it mean? I couldn't even see anything! How is a vision of endless redness supposed to warn me of anything?  
_ The cold tile nipped at her feet as she stepped out of the shower. Max looked in the mirror and saw that while she looked a lot healthier than when she had woken up a few days ago, dark circles still cradles her sunken eyes.

   Steam flooded the bedroom as Max opened the bathroom door and walked, dressed in Rachel's clothes, toward the bed, which suddenly looked very inviting.

   "Holy shit…" Max turned to see a very stunned look on Chloe's face, which made it clear that the words had slipped out of her mouth. Quickly though, she diffused the awkward situation by blurting "You're definitely ready for the mosh-pit now, shaka-brah!" Max blushed and sat down on the bed next to Chloe. The two girls sat like this in silence for a while until Max turned and whispered "Chloe I'm so, so sorry about Joyce."

   Chloe's brow furrowed as she looked back at her. "God, I wish you'd stop saying that!" There was pain in her cracked voice. "None of this is your fault, Max! You could never have stopped that tornado; it was always coming. Every day I see you moping around like all this pain and devastation exists because of you. Its eating you up inside and it kills me to see you hurting like that!" She shuffled closer to Max, placing a comforting hand on her left knee. "I care about you so much that it hurts to see you so broken and defeated by all this; that's not the Max I know. I care about you so much because I love you! I love you and I wish I could have been there for you…" Chloe's face was now very close to Max's, their noses inches away from touching.

   And then they were kissing.

   Max had kissed Chloe once before; in her bedroom not a week earlier. It lasted for less than a second, but in that fraction of time, Max had never felt more alive and excited. In that instant, she had felt thousands of volts of electricity flowing through her lips all the way down to her toes. She thought about that kiss all the time. _But this kiss_ … This kiss was something else. It felt to Max now as though the entire universe had shrunk down and existed only as a singularity on the exact point that their lips were touching. Every ounce of energy that had ever existed danced between Max's fingers as she reached for Chloe's hair. Her senses went in to overdrive, and Max was suddenly acutely aware of everything that was going on. Chloe's heavy breathing, the girl's grip on her knee tightening, the dim lamp in the corner, and the now distant drumming of rain against the black windows. But most vivid of all, Max could feel the way their noses brushed against each other, and the way Chloe's lips transitioned from tough and dry on the outside to soft and wet just behind. That was something which Max noticed as well; everything was wet. Too wet…

   All at once, Max was aware of the fact that Chloe was shaking uncontrollably and tears were streaming down her face. Max reluctantly pulled away and noticed that Chloe's knuckles were white as they gripped Rachel's flannel shirt that Max had put on. Chloe didn't let go as she tried to speak between sobs.

   "I loved her, Max." She said quietly. "I loved Rachel more than anything and I can't believe I let her go." She let go of Max's shirt and put her hands in her lap. "I'm sorry. Seeing you in her clothes just now, I just… Max, I'm so sorry."

   Max's heart was beating faster than ever, and a lump the size of a boulder was rising quickly in her stomach as she stammered "Chloe, I lov-"

   "Max, no." Chloe interrupted, her eyes screwed shut with tears soaking her face. "I… I'm sorry I just… I can't. I'm sorry."

   Not much else was said. Not long after, Chloe got under the covers and went to sleep. After some silent crying herself, Max followed suit. The nights had started to get colder over the last few weeks yet both girls slept shivering inches from each other's warmth, neither of them brave enough to move closer to the other.


	5. CHLOE

   By morning the rain had passed, giving way to a cruel heat which seemed to suck all the air out of Chloe’s truck as the two girls continued their journey back to Seattle. Neither girl had brought up the events of the night before, and Chloe expected that Max wanted to forget about it as much as she did. In fact; that morning, Max had acted as though nothing _had_ happened. She snuck out and bought them both breakfast without waking Chloe from her sleep. She had even offered to drive despite Chloe’s poorly-disguised concern at her friend’s competence:

   “Are you sure you’re okay to drive?” Chloe’s brow had been stuck in a furrow since the moment Max brought up the possibility that she might take the driver’s seat.

   “Of course! It didn’t go too badly last time. A little slow, but better safe than sorry!”

   “I know, but…” Chloe searched for an argument, “You don’t have a license! You can’t drive without a license, Max.”

   Max gave her a curious look, “Since when has a little thing like ‘the law’ ever gotten in the way of gun-slinging, pot-smoking Chloe Price?”

   Chloe shut her mouth; Max had her beaten. She couldn’t help but smile as they made their way up the I-5. A little slower than the rest of the traffic, but they were making fair progress. Chloe cradled the bag in her lap which now contained Max’s muddied clothes from the previous night. She hoped that they wouldn’t damage the portraits that were carefully placed face-down at the bottom.

   Chloe’s hand nudged an unfamiliar bulge in her left pocket. “Oh! I almost forgot!” Realising what is was, she pulled out Max’s now dry phone and pressed down on the power button “Let’s see if we can get this baby working again.” Sure enough, a quiet jingle sounded and the screen lit up, “Works like a charm! You can thank me later with free food once we get back to your place.” Just then, the phone vibrated and a score of messages flooded the screen. “Whoa… Six missed calls. Somebody _loves you_ , Max! Hmm that’s weird; these are all from like 3am last night.”

   Max looked worried, “Who are they from?”

   Chloe felt a horrible lump rising in her stomach, “Kate Marsh.”

   Max’s eyes quickly darted to the phone in her friend’s hand, “Shit! Call her back, quickly!”

   Chloe had already pressed the ‘call’ button and Kate picked up after only one ring, there was a cacophony of background noise and her heavy breathing told Chloe that she was already in a rush.

   “Max?” Kate’s voice was cautious but shaky.

   “Hi Kate, its Chloe. We got your messages, what’s going on?”

   “Oh Chloe, do you think you could put Max on the line? I just-” she stopped herself “Never mind, I have to go soon anyway.”

   “Kate, please.” Chloe didn’t have a good feeling about this conversation, “What happened?”

   Suddenly Kate was crying, “It’s Warren” she said through heavy sniffles “It was his infections. A little while after you left, he got really bad. They took him to the ICU, and… He never came back. He’s gone, Chloe.” That was all she could manage; Kate quickly devolved into deep sobs which prevented her from saying any more. As for Chloe; her lump had now risen to her throat and had taken on the density of a dying sun.

   After a minute of silence, Kate spoke again “Listen Chloe, I really have to go. Tell Max that I’m really sorry. I’m really…” She broke off into tears again “Bye, Chloe.” And she hung up.

   Chloe was left with the phone hanging loosely in her trembling hand. The rushing in her ears made it difficult for her to hear her friend beside her.

   “Chloe? Chloe! What did she say?”

   She turned and looked at Max with tears welling in her eyes “Warren…” was all she managed to force out before the lump in her throat settled and blocked any more words from forming.

Max, too, seemed unable to speak. In fact her face showed no emotion at all. Where Chloe’s cheeks were stained with tears and eyeliner, Max’s were dry and clean. When Chloe’s bottom lip trembled and shook, Max’s mouth remained tight and still. While Chloe’s chest ached for the loss of such a young life, Max’s heart seemed unmoved. That is, of course, until the car rolled to a stop in an emergency bay on the side of the highway. Slowly, methodically, Max put the truck into park and turned the ignition off. Then her bottom lip started trembling; soon her cheeks were lined with rivers of tears; then as she leaned her head forward in defeat, she began crying. It started as soft sobbing punctuated with deep, desperate inhales. Then she threw her head back and wailed at the roof of the truck’s cabin. Before long, this devolved into soul-ripping screams as she began beating at the steering wheel with her fists as though the truck had been the one who had taken Warren. Chloe would have been worried for her truck if she had been able to see what was going on through the tears in her own eyes. On and on Max screamed as she laid out a series of blows to the truck that Chloe could feel were driven by all the stress, pain, and devastation that they had both experienced over the last few days. After some time, the screaming stopped. Max leaned against the door and stumbled out of the truck; Chloe followed. They met as they went to swap positions and wrapped each other in a warm, tight embrace. Chloe let Max hold on for as long as she needed, which turned out to be a very long time. Eventually, Chloe found herself in the driver’s seat with Max on her right. Through shaky breaths, Max managed to give Chloe some instruction:

   “Just take me home.”

   And so Chloe drove.

 

* * *

 

   A few hours later, Chloe turned into a gas station whose sign boasted _“The lowest gas prices in Seattle!”_. Max had been asleep for a while, but she woke up as Chloe got out of the truck.

   “Where are we?” she said, drowsily.

   “About twenty miles from your folks’ house. I know you wanna get home as soon as possible, but we’ve been running on fumes since Des Moines.” Chloe opened the passenger door. “Come on. I’ll let you choose something from the store. My treat.”

   Max didn’t move.

   “Max it’s like 90 degrees out, I can’t leave you in here”

   “Chloe I’m not a dog.” Max snapped, “Just roll down the windows and I’ll be fine.”

   “Max I’m not leaving you” Chloe said, taking her hand “You need some fresh air, come on.”

   The air conditioning inside the gas station store was refreshing and helped Chloe’s head to clear. She was looking at the soft drinks in the refrigerator when Max walked up beside her holding a flavoured milk and a candy bar. Chloe decided to break the silence that had been going on since the previous evening.

   “Listen Max, about last night…”

   “Chloe, please I don’t want to talk about it.” Max cut in quietly.

   “No, we need to. I-”

   “Chloe, drop it.” She hissed through her teeth.

   “Max, no!” Said Chloe, raising her voice “You need to know that I still love Ra-”

   “Chloe please be quiet!” Max pleaded, using her head to direct Chloe’s attention behind her. Chloe turned and saw what had caught Max’s eye. A man dressed in black was at the counter pointing a handgun at the store clerk. She could hear his hushed voice ordering the trembling man to open the cash register.

   “Oh, shi-” Chloe started, but was cut off. Max suddenly appeared in front of her. She hadn’t moved, she just popped into existence between her and the gunman. What’s more, Chloe was immediately aware of the fact that Max was now covered in blood which soaked her shirt and skin with dark patches. Some was splattered all over her face as well.

   “CHLOE!” Max’s shrill cry drew the gunman’s attention who immediately wheeled around and saw the two girls.

   “What the fuck!?” He stood for a split second in shock, and then a tremendous _BANG_ filled the room as he pulled the trigger. Almost immediately, Max dropped to the floor like a sack of bricks. New blood was spewing out from a wound somewhere in her back. In an instant the man in black fled, and the clerk reached for his cell phone and ran across the store to the two girls, already trying to reach 911. Chloe was on the floor cradling Max’s head and shouting at her. The ringing in her ears stopped her from hearing her own words, but she hoped it was something like “It’s going to be okay”. At least, that what Chloe needed to hear.


	6. MAX

   “Max can you move? I can’t see the TV.” Chloe was leaning to one side of the living room couch, straining to see the television from behind Max who had trouble sitting due to the tight bandages wrapped around her midriff.

   “Oh sorry. Is this better?” Max moved aside.

   “Better.” Chloe’s absent-minded voice trailed off as the evening news began. Both girls watched as the anchor-woman read the day’s bulletin.

   _“A gas station clerk was held up at gunpoint in lower Seattle yesterday afternoon.”_

   “Chloe…” Max started “I think this is the gas station we were at.”

   “It can’t be” Chloe said incredulously.

   _“Two young girls from Arcadia Bay were present at the time of the robbery, and security footage shows that a nineteen year-old girl was killed during the incident.”_

“Chloe…” A photograph of a cheery young girl with cropped blue hair appeared on the television screen “What the _fuck_? They’re saying that you died!” Max turned to face the older girl, but Chloe was no longer sitting on the couch. Instead, a rotting skeleton stared lifelessly at the TV from the living room sofa. With bones blackened and burned, the decayed figure turned to face Max. Electric-blue hair began to fall out of its crumbling skull. Max opened her mouth in a pained, horrified expression but no scream would come out. She could only look down to see that her bandages were soaked in blood, dripping all over the pale carpet. Faintly, she could hear the sound of a gun firing. Again.

   Again.

   Again…

   The rushing sound in her ears told Max that it was time to wake up. She opened her eyes to find that she was lying in a hospital bed. Pale white walls surrounded her and Chloe sat on a small chair to Max’s right, her hands restless with worry.

 

* * *

 

   Max barely had time to call her friend’s name before Chloe had practically screamed “MAX!” and jumped up to wrap her arms around her body. It was at this point that Max became aware of a blinding pain that originated in her back but seemed to radiate throughout her entire body.

   “Jesus, Max! Don’t try and sit up.” Max felt Chloe’s hand ease her head down against the cheap, thin pillow.

   “Where are we?” Max winced as she tried to talk and breathe normally.

   “Providence Centralia.”

   “The _hospital_? Why are we at the hospital?”

   “Well I was hoping you could answer that one for me, Max the human shield.” Chloe’s tone was light, but her furrowed brow and fidgeting fingers revealed her deep concern. “What the hell happened back there? You know, at the gas station?”

   Max stared blankly at the undecorated wall trying to remember. As the events came flooding back, her eyes widened and then she grimaced again. After a few more seconds, she turned to Chloe with a look of intense guilt and fear. “Chloe...” she said “I’m so, so sorry.”

   “What?” Chloe leaned in. “What happened, Max?”

   “I couldn’t help it, I had to.”

   “Max…”

   “You caught his attention. Said my name or something.” Max’s voice was shaking, she was speaking in fragments. “You got shot! Right in front of me! I had to go back… I couldn’t have you die on me again. Not after…”

   “Wait.” Chloe interjected “So you used your powers? Max, you said it was too risky!”

   “I did it to save you!” Max winced at the effort that it took to shout.

   “But it didn’t change anything! You still drew his attention to us! It wasn’t worth it.”

   “You didn’t get shot. I think that makes it worth it.” Max looked hurt by what her friend had said.

   “Max.” Chloe wrapped the younger girl’s hands in her own. “Just like you didn’t want me to get shot, I don’t want you to get hurt either.” She raised Max’s hand upward and lightly kissed it with her lips. “I’m glad you’re alive. But I wish you hadn’t had to use your powers, it’s too risky. The last time you did that, the only way to cancel out its chain of events was to have one of us die.”

    Max suddenly had that same mixture of guilt and worry on her face. “There’s something else.”

   “What?” Said Chloe, measured but slightly accusatory. Like a mother scolding a disobedient child.

   “The other day. When we were at your old house.” Chloe seemed pained at the way Max had said _old house_. “I had another vision.”

   “What!” Chloe’s eyes widened in terror. “Like the ones before?”

   “Yeah.” Max said. “Well, no. This one was different.”

   “What did you see?”

   “Red.” Max gazed out the window. “I was… submerged in water. Red water.”

   “Was that it? Did you hear anything?”

   “Just this rushing. In my ears. Like a train.”

   Chloe opened her mouth to speak but just at that moment, her phone chimed loudly. “That’s your folks. I should tell them you’ve woken up. They’ve already been here, you know."

   “Oh god.” Max sunk down into her bed.

   “What?”

   “It’s just so embarrassing.”

   “Oh, Max.” Chloe cocked a small smile. “They’re your parents. They’ll just be happy to see you alive.”

   Happy was one word for it. Max’s mom practically soaked the bed sheets with her tears and nearly tore the bullet-wound wide open with all her hugging. Her dad was a blubbering mess as well. He kept forgetting that he was holding important hospital documents and would scrunch them up in his hands and use them to dab his eyes like tissues.

   This would become a regular occurrence for Max. Her parents lived less than an hour away from the hospital, so every day they would come to visit. Each time, tears would start flowing from her mother’s face as soon as the door opened.

   Despite the constant advice from Max’s nurse Jess, Chloe never went home. She lived and slept in the small chair beside Max’s bed and rarely got up from it. Occasionally she would leave to go for a walk around the hospital grounds to get some fresh air, but she would always come back with wet sleeves and bloodshot eyes.  After having nothing to do for nearly a week, Chloe asked Jess for some paper and a set of pencils. After that, Chloe would spend an hour or two per day drawing pictures of the areas around the hospital building. Max wasn’t physically able to leave the sterile white hospital bedroom, so she found the drawings to be a beautiful splash of colour to her day. But mostly she just liked that they were made by Chloe.

   “Wow, where’s this one?” Max pointed to a particular image.

   “That’s at the college.” Chloe had just come back from a particularly long trip.

   “Is it nearby?”

   “Maybe a couple of miles?”

   “That’s so far!”

   “No its not!” Chloe laughed.

   “Yeah!” said Max indignantly. “That’s like an hour’s walking. Maybe more!”

   “It might take that long in your physical state, Professor X!”

   “Hey! It’s not like I’m paralysed” Max laughed and punched Chloe in the shoulder. “Did you do this one today as well?” She pointed to another drawing on Chloe’s lap.

   “Yeah, that’s the clock tower at the college. I thought it was way too elaborate, but the straight lines looked cool.”

   “I love it.” Said Max. “This one’s beautiful.”

   “ _They’re all beautiful_.” Said a deep voice from the entrance. Both girls turned to see who it was.

   “David!” Chloe rushed to the door and threw her arms around her step-father. “You got my text”

   “I did, sweetie.” He looked over to the bed. “Oh Max. I’d ask you how you are, but…”

   “Yeah, no need.” Max chuckled.

   “Listen Chloe, I’ll get right down to it.” He turned to Chloe, putting his hands on her shoulders. “The tornado finished off the entire town. Including our house.”

   “I know.” Said Chloe, tears welling in her eyes. “We’ve seen it.”

   “Then you’ll know we can’t move back there.” David choked on his words a little as well. “Right now I’m staying in a motel outside of Portland. But I’m gonna move into a place that’s right in the middle of town. Chloe I want you to move in there with me. I don’t know if I could stand living in an empty house so soon after losing Joyce.”

   Chloe was taken aback, “You want me to live with you in Portland?”

   “It’s a small apartment near the river.” David tried to reassure her. “I’ll take the smaller bedroom so you can have the master room. And it allows pets! You’ll love it!” Max could see in David’s eyes that he truly thought this would be good for Chloe.

   “David, I…” Chloe glanced back at max. “Max is really sick, I… I don’t know if I can just leave her right now. Maybe not even after she goes home.”

   David let out a small sigh as he looked down at his feet. “Okay.” He took his hands off Chloe’s shoulders. “I should give you some time to think about it.” He glanced up toward Chloe and Max. “I’m headed down to the cafeteria, I’ll get you guys something to eat, okay?” Chloe stared blankly at the wall as he left the room.

   “You should do it.” Max said abruptly.

   “What?” Chloe said vaguely, like she’d come out of a trance.

   “You should go with David. He needs you, and to be honest I think you kinda need him.”

   “I don’t!” said Chloe, her voice cracking a little. “Besides I can’t leave you. Not like this.” She gestured toward Max’s hospital bed and machines.

   Max started to say something, but she was interrupted by a sudden feeling of intense heaviness. Her vision started to blur and all at once, she was falling. Falling backwards into an infinite, suffocating blackness.


End file.
